


Flower Child

by Brumeier



Series: Bite Sized Fic 2021 [7]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1960s, Family Feels, Gen, Hippies, Kid Fic, Prompt Fill, Protests, Vietnam War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29690931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: LJ Comment Fic for 100 Words on Decade-Specific AUs prompt:Stargate Atlantis, Evan Lorne +/ any, Hippie AU (1960's)In which Evan is finally old enough to go to his first anti-war protest.
Series: Bite Sized Fic 2021 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108508
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2021





	Flower Child

Evan held very still so the paint wouldn’t smudge. His mama was focused, biting her bottom lip as she moved the brush across his cheek. It tickled a little and he tried not to laugh.

“There,” Mama said. She put down the brush and held up the hand mirror. “What do you think?”

She’d painted a big yellow flower on his cheek, and it looked just like the flowers that grew in the fallow field. Mama was an artist. Sometimes she sold her paintings down on the Haight, but today was something different.

“I wanna come,” Stacia pouted. 

Mama pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “You’re not old enough. Besides, Bertie needs your help making all those cookies today.”

The prospect of baking with their grandmother usually perked Evan’s little sister up, but not this time.

“I can hold flowers! And I know all the songs!”

“I hear you. And I understand how you’re feeling. Evvie-Bell had to wait until he was ten, and so do you. That’s what’s fair.”

Even Stacia knew not to push any further when fairness came into play. Evan gave her a hug, careful of his freshly painted flower.

“Go pick out a flower,” he told her. “I’ll give it to someone for you.”

The buckets of freshly cut flowers had already been loaded on the bus that would transport them all to Berkeley. Stacia ran off to choose one.

“You’re a good big brother,” Mama said warmly.

It took a little longer for everyone to get ready, and then they were on the bus and waving goodbye out the windows. Stacia was there with Bertie, waving frantically.

“Flower power!” she shouted.

“Flower power!” Evan shouted back, holding her flower up so she could see he still had it.

The ride to Berkeley wasn’t very long, despite traffic on the Bay Bridge. Evan shared a seat with Blair, who’d only been at the commune a few months and had a dove painted on his cheek. They sang along to Phil Ochs songs, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

_I'd sing out danger,_   
_I'd sing out a warning_   
_I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters,_   
_All over this land_

Evan was nervous, but the excited kind. It was his first protest against the Vietnam War and he had no idea what it was going to be like.

“Sometimes it’s scary,” Blair confided. He was a year younger than Evan, but he’d been to a lot of protests with his mom. “But, like, we’re changing the world and that’s so far out, man!”

Evan’s commune was joining a larger protest, and at first all he could see was a sea of hippies. Lots of them had their faces painted with flowers and peace signs and hearts, and wearing bellbottoms and fringe and headbands. Evan felt a swell of pride to be included in something so important.

Then he saw the National Guard, a line of solemn-faced men in identical green uniforms holding rifles, and his resolve wavered.

“Look at their faces,” Mama said, leaning down so Evan could hear her. “Look how young they are. So are the boys they send to die in Vietnam, boys who were taken away from their families and made into killers. That’s why we’re here.”

Boys like his father, who hadn’t been drafted but instead signed up on purpose to go and fight a war everyone said was wrong. Dad and Mama had so many loud, angry fights before he shipped out. Evan, like his mama, hadn’t understood why his dad would make that choice. Why he would leave and go do something that was against everything the commune stood for?

They weren’t allowed to talk about Dad, not ever, even though he sent letters to Mama. Evan wondered if he was scared or lonely, if he was sorry he went. He missed his dad so much.

Evan looked up at the soldiers, and only one of them looked back at him, though he only moved his eyes. As the crowd behind him started to chant ‘make love, not war’, he held Stacia’s flower out.

The soldier didn’t take it, but he smiled back at Evan.

**Author's Note:**

> **Songlist**
> 
> [If I Had A Hammer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxWTDcP9Y5E), by Peter, Paul and Mary


End file.
